Samir Elmir

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Dr. Elmir has been employed by the Miami-Dade County Health Department since 1989 and, since 1994, has been the Department’s Administrator for the Division of Environmental Health and Engineering.

For the past 14 years, Dr. Elmir has been responsible for the implementation of the environmental health and engineering programs for the largest Health Department in the state of Florida. Those programs include: Florida Safe Drinking Water Systems, Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Facilities, Limited Use Public Water Systems, Super Act and Dry Cleaning Contaminated Sites, Indoor Air Quality, Food, Group Care Facilities, Environmental and Occupational Health, and Community Hygiene.

Dr. Elmir received his Baccalaureate Degree in Civil Engineering at the Beirut Arabic University in 1985. He completed Masters and Doctoral Degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Miami in 1989 and 2006. He is a certified Diplomat with the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and a Certified Environmental Health Professional by the Florida Department of Health. He is a graduate of the 2007 Class of the Florida Engineering Leadership Institute and the 2006 program at the Leadership and Management Academy at the University of North Carolina.

Dr Elmir is a recognized leader in environmental and public health in a wide range of issues, from the successful creation and productive implementation of interdisciplinary research, and the specific areas of all types of water contamination, including human exposures and effects, to the wider impacts of general environmental and public health. Dr. Elmir has been a principal author and co-author in tens of peer-reviewed publications on the theme of microbial contamination of tropical waters. Dr. Elmir has also been an advocate towards increasing partnerships with federal, state and local entities.

During his career, Dr. Elmir has been recognized for many significant accomplishments including a Davis Productivity Award in 2004 for “his innovation, dedication and commitment to excellence” and a Proclamation, “Samir Elmir Day, July 25, 2000”from then Mayor of Dade County, Alex Penelas, “for providing an immediate and effective public health response to the rupture of the 54 inch sub-acquous force main at the Miami Beach Marina.” Dr. Elmir was also appointed by the County Commission in 1998 to serve on the Miami-Dade County Environmental Advisory Task Force.

Over his career, Dr. Elmir has proved to be a capable manager who inspires those who work with and for him and an effective leader in motivating people.